


Locked

by MidnightEternal



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dorian is a Good Friend, Dorian is magic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship is Magic, Hurt Sera, Hurt/Comfort, Joint problems, Locked fingers, Locked hand, Locked joints, Love, M/M, Muscle cramps, Real Life Situations, Sera Being Sera, Sweet Cullen Rutherford, They approve, They encourage it actually, They know I adapt this stuff for fics, this happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 14:53:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13503855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightEternal/pseuds/MidnightEternal
Summary: Sera's hand locks up, Dorian is magic even without using his magic, and Cullen is a sweetheart.





	Locked

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to cope with the fact that my hands have been locking up practically non-stop for the last 24 hours. It started about a week or two ago, and is quiet literally the most frightening thing to happen to me. I'm a writer, for Maker's sake. My friend, who is Dorian here, also suffers with locking joints, particuarly her thumb from years as a Graphic Designer, so when it happened the first time? You bet your ass I called her. When it happened the second? Both her and my best friend (here as Cullen) were at my place. They literally sat by me for 2 hours while my Dorian got my hand moving again. (Yes, they're together in real life, and it's my FAVOURITE thing.)
> 
> They both encourage me to write our interactions as fics, so this is my thank you to them both. <3

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Sera cursed in loud whispers, her voice carrying quietly around the empty practice field. Her left arm was held out, dead straight, in a firing position with her bow, aiming at one of the many targets littered around the grounds. 

This one, in particular, was covered by thick fern trees, more for tension release than actual practice. It stood below the battlements, and the nearest room happened to be Cullen’s. Most of the Inquisition’s forces figured it was placed there, next to a single training dummy that looked new every day, in case one of the soldiers was having some difficulties. That way, Cullen would be the first to know, and he did care for his recruits more than most Commanders have ever been known to. 

Dorian leant over the side of the battlement, a few steps away from Cullen’s office/bedroom, watching Sera’s right hand fail, time and again, to nock back an arrow. He glanced back at Cullen, who was resting against his doorframe, with a frown. 

“My dear, are you quite alright?” The mage called, turning back to Sera, his brow furrowed, and his lips quirked downwards in some semblance of a frown. 

After a few moments of there being no answer, but more concerning noises of frustration, Dorian and Cullen’s gazes connected, and they made an immediate decision. They walked down the steps together, and headed over to the elf, who was surrounded by at least twenty unfired arrows. Her hand was curled over itself, her entire body shaking, and tears had built in her eyes. 

“Sera?” Dorian asked, closing in on her. 

“My stupid hand is stupidly stuck, I can’t do anything with it!” She hissed, dropping her bow, and holding out the offending limb, the tears in her eyes steadily making their way down her reddened face. She looked scared, her eyes flickering between her hand and Dorian’s face, trying desperately to make sense of the situation. 

“Why the tears, darling?” Dorian asked, taking her hand in one of his own, and moving the other to wipe away some of her tears. 

“’Cause it frickin’ hurts!” The tears grew, and she drew in a shuddering breath. 

“Hush, hush,” Dorian said in a low, comforting tone. “Let me see.” He began trying to open up her fingers, but Sera jerked her hand back. 

“No!” Sera barked. 

“Sera. Have I ever hurt you?” The mage asked, raising one fine brow, and standing with his weight on one leg, hip cocked out. 

“Not th’ point, Magebits! It hurts!” Sera pleaded. 

“I can help your hand move again,” he bargained. 

Sera thought for a moment, looking back at her hand. “... No magic?” 

“No magic, I promise.” 

“... Promise?” She whispered. 

Dorian sighed, looking back at Cullen with a tortured expression. “Promise.” 

Cullen snickered, and coughed to cover it up; looking at his partner with fondness. 

“Pinky swear? Swear on yer manbits? Y’ need those. Curly likes them,” Sera said, giggling with a small snort. 

Cullen’s face went bright pink-red, something akin to a raspberry. He slapped one gloved hand over his face. 

“Yes, Sera, I swear,” Dorian vowed, and turned to face Cullen. “Amatus, stop trying to hide for a moment, it’s not actually possible to die from embarrassment. Do you still have the-” 

“Always, my heart.” Cullen said, dropping his hand from his face, and rummaging in his pockets. He pulled out a small tin, and passed it to the mage. “Here.” 

“My thanks, dearest,” he looked to Sera, and pulled the elf to his side. “Come, we’ll go to your room, I know how to fix this.” 

Cullen tugged Sera’s bow from her grasp, and picked up all of her arrows, despite her protests that she could do it herself. The trio then travelled up to Sera’s room above the Herald’s Rest, Dorian signalling to the Chargers and Bull that he’d fill them in later as they passed the group. They did adore the mischief-loving elf, and what she did wasn’t unlike some of their past jobs. She’d become a welcome addition on their adventures outside of Skyhold. 

Cullen pushed open Sera’s door, holding it until both his lover and his friend had gotten inside. He closed it quietly, and moved to push up and plump Sera’s pillows. 

“Lie down,” Dorian ordered, guiding the elf towards the bed. 

Sera did as she was told with about as much grace as you’d expect, sticking her tongue out at Dorian as she bounced lightly. She let her back hit the pillows, and slumped. Dorian sat next to her, and took her hand back in his, lightly running his fingers over the raised tendons. 

“Relax,” he ordered. 

“I am!” Sera protested. 

“No, you’re as tense as your bowstring. I can feel it in your hand. Relax.” 

Dorian pushed the entirety of his hand against her fingers, keeping them upright with the pressure. 

Sera looked around, unsure of herself. “I don’t...” 

“Amatus, would you?” Dorian asked, pushing on Sera’s knuckles with his thumb, and feeling the pops of the joints. 

“My pleasure.” Cullen moves around Sera, and sits on her other side, which would have been funnier, if not for the circumstances. The Inquisition’s Commander clambering over a bed. He shucked off his gloves, and pressed his thumbs into the pressure points below Sera’s neck. 

“Ack! What are y’ doing back there!?” Sera exclaimed, startled. 

“Relax, Sera. Close your eyes,” Cullen replied, rubbing circles into the tense muscles. 

“Easy for you t’ say! I’ve got a templar one end, and a mage the other! And neither of ‘em have tits! And both do magic-y demon-y shite! I feel... I don’t know how I feel!” Sera stammered. 

“Settle down and stop tensing your hand,” Dorian commanded, frowning at the elf. 

Sera slid down the pillows slightly, deeper into Cullen’s touch. “Pfffft. Fine.” 

“Deep breaths, Sera. Calm yourself,” Cullen said in a low voice, moving his hands across her shoulders. 

“I can’t...” Sera started, her body trembling with anxious fear. 

“Focus on your other hand. Here, does this help?” Cullen asked, taking hold of her other hand in his, and kneading at the base of her skull with his other. 

“A bit...” Sera agreed. 

“Let Dorian work his.... Magic, as it were. Sleep if you need to. It’s alright,” Cullen smiled. 

It was a while before anyone spoke again, Dorian kept digging his digits into Sera’s hand, massaging the joints, trying to bring some life back into her frozen limb. 

“Is this helping at all?” Dorian asked, continuing with his ministrations. 

“Feels... Less stuck,” Sera admitted, her fingers twitching in Dorian’s hold

“Wonderful. Keep breathing. Squeeze Cullen’s hand if it hurts too much. I can stop if you need me to.”

Sera’s head shook from side to side. “Nah, it’s alright.” 

A few more minutes of rubbing and pressing later, Dorian stopped again. 

“Try slowly moving your fingers for me? Take your time, there’s absolutely no rush,” he said, holding Sera’s hand against his own. 

Sera looked at her hand, willing it to just _move_. But it wouldn’t. 

“Shhh, calm down. You’re tensing again, darling. Just tap on my leg,” Dorian requested, putting her hand atop his thigh, and demonstrating with it; tapping one finger against his own leg at a time, and moving to the next. 

After a few moments, Sera followed his lead, tapping against the mage’s leg, slowly, but still tapping. 

“Well done. Now, if you can, turn your hand over.” 

Still shaky, Sera turned her hand over, it visibly shook with exertion. 

“Good, that’s good,” Dorian commented. 

Cullen hummed from behind her, just holding her other hand in his. It was warm. Comforting. 

“Relax. You aren’t doing yourself any favours. You’re shaking,” he commented. 

Sera took a deep breath, forcing her body to slump down again. 

“Touch your fingers together? Take your time,” Dorian requested, watching her hand with all the attention of a healer. 

Fingers touched together, thumb to forefinger, middle, ring, little. Again. Done. 

“Raise your arm?” 

Slowly, from the elbow, her arm came up. 

“Perfect.” 

Dorian smiled. 

“Feel better?” Cullen asked, running his hand through her hair. 

“...Tired,” Sera admitted. 

“Rest then, all is well,” Dorian whispered, stroking the back of her hand. 

Sera caught his fingers as he moved away, holding his hand in hers. Her eyes closed, but she kept squeezing his hand, trying to reassure herself that she was fine. Everything was fine. It was an effort not to panic, to keep her breaths slow and even, but with her best friends beside her, she managed. 

“Shall we stay a while longer?” Cullen asked, bright eyes looking at Dorian in the dimly lit room. 

“Just a while. I’ll see her again in the morning to make sure she’s well,” his mage replied. 

Sera slept. Dorian and Cullen fell a little more in love.


End file.
